Aerenden: The Child Returns (Ærenden) Read Online Free

letting
her into the apartment, then tucked his hands into his pockets and waited.
    After
a moment, Meaghan cleared her throat. “Mom and I had a long discussion. It,
um,” she dropped her eyes to the plate in her hands. “It seems I was being
childish.”
    “Maybe
you were,” he said, and then held up a hand when her head snapped up, her
heated gaze locking on him. “But you’re entitled. I’m not exactly the easiest
person to be around.”
    Meaghan
sighed and set the muffins down on the coffee table. “That’s the thing. You’re
not as difficult as you think, but you’re aloof. I don’t understand why.”
    “You
will when you see me next.”
    “When
will that be?”
    “Soon,”
he responded. She stiffened and he brought his hands to her shoulders. “I’d
tell you if I knew, Meaghan, but I promise it won’t be long.”
    “Meg,”
she corrected, and he knew she had forgiven him. He drew her close, and then
pressed his cheek to the top of her head when she relaxed in his arms. The next
time they met, she would know his secret and their relationship would change,
but for now, in this moment, the stillness of the friendship bonding them brought
peace.  
    He
wanted to etch the feeling into his memory, but he did not get the chance. Meaghan
tensed, and then jerked from his arms, her wide eyes seeking the house over his
shoulder.
    “There’s
something wrong,” she whispered. She shivered and he gripped her shoulders once
more. “There’s so much,” she gasped. Tears spilled down her cheeks. “Pain,” she
continued, though Nick could tell she struggled to form her words. Her eyes
refocused on him. “It feels so real.”
    “I
don’t understand.”
    “Me
neither.” She shook her head as if to clear it. “It hurts, but it’s foreign.
It’s like a dream.”
    Nick’s
heart hammered when he realized what she meant. “No,” he murmured. “It can’t
be.”
    “Nick…”
Meaghan began, but her voice faded as her eyes found the house again. Her face
turned white. Her hands trembled, and Nick grasped them between his own.
Closing his eyes, he bowed his head to focus.
    “We
have to help them,” she insisted. “We have to hurry.”
    Her
hands disappeared from his. He felt her brush past him and opened his eyes in
time to loop an arm around her waist, preventing her from escaping the
apartment. “Don’t,” he said. “We can’t go in there without knowing what we’re
facing.”
    “I
have to.” She pushed against him, but he did not release his hold. She reacted
to a drive she could not control and as much as he worried he might hurt her,
he tightened his grip to protect her. “Something’s wrong,” she said. “Please,
Nick. I can’t—”
    “Be
quiet,” he commanded, his sharp tone silencing her. He shut his eyes and
focused again. When he found what he feared most, his eyes popped open in
panic. “This isn’t happening. I would’ve sensed them before now.”
    “Who?”
    Rather
than respond, he grabbed her hand and yanked her toward the door. He had no
time to explain. He had to save her life, even if it meant bringing her
straight into danger.
    §
    T HEY FLED from the apartment, down the stairs and across the yard. Meaghan was certain
she would have collapsed if Nick had not been pulling her along behind him. She
felt weak and useless, overwhelmed by pain she could not understand. She ached
from it. She forced herself to breathe, to think, though her lungs followed the
direction better than her brain. She registered the cold air, the grass as it
passed under her feet, but she did not notice when Nick abruptly halted until
she bumped into his back. Letting go of her hand, he bowed his head as he had
in the apartment, then cracked open the back door to the house.
    “Is
it safe?” she asked.
    “They
aren’t in the kitchen,” he responded. “We have to take the chance.”
    “What chance?” She grabbed
his arm. “Nick—”
    He
finished opening the door and Meaghan’s grip